Tree limbs are denser than the tree trunks and as a result they contain more Btu's of energy. However, it has been both difficult and time consuming to cut limbs. It takes a considerable amount of time to cut limbs if they are cut individually. Limbs are generally curved and/or crooked and do not normally lay tight together. Thus, if a group of limbs are merely stacked on top of each other, on a support, and then sawn, cutting the limbs results in movement of the limbs which makes it difficult to cut them and also makes the cutting dangerous.
My copending application Ser. No. 815,387 sets forth an apparatus and method for cutting together a large number of limbs without the shifting in position of the limbs which makes the cutting operation both difficult and dangerous. This application relates to improvements in the apparatus, and in particular to ways of constructing the apparatus so that it can be disassembled for easy transportation and storage in a small space.
Sawbucks which exist in the patent literature, and which comprise a frame and some sort of means for binding members to be cut to the frame, are disclosed by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 194,229, granted Aug. 14, 1877, to Henry C. Emery; 691,633, granted Jan. 21, 1902, to Melvin Jincks and Clarence W. Stanton; 2,815,131, granted Dec. 3, 1957, to J. E. Lunsman et al.; 4,454,929, granted Jan. 19, 1984, to David Wellman; 4,457,504, granted Jul. 3, 1984, to Gilbert E. Mottla; and 4,566,559, granted Jan. 28, 1986, to Christianus M. A. J. van Asten. These patents should be carefully considered for the purpose of putting the subject invention into proper perspective relative to the prior art.